JP2002204931A - Hollow fiber membrane module and method for manufacturing it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hollow fiber membrane module with excellent mechanical strength of a bonded part between a housing and an end cap and a method for manufacturing the hollow fiber membrane module by which this hollow fiber membrane module can be manufactured easily and with good production efficiency. SOLUTION: In the hollow fiber membrane module in which the end cap 5 is liquid-tightly bonded to the end part of the housing and the end part of a bundle 8 of hollow fiber membranes is liquid-tightly fixed with a fixing member 9 consisting of a fixing resin, the hollow fiber membrane module in which the bundle 8 of the hollow fiber membranes is fixed on the housing 3 with the fixing member 9 and the end cap 5 is fixed on the housing 3 is provided and the method for manufacturing the hollow fiber membrane module in which the bundle 8 of the hollow fiber membranes is fixed on the housing 3 by injecting the fixing resin into a resin injecting part 12 and at the same time, the end cap 5 is fixed on the housing 3 by injecting the fixing resin into a resin injecting space 18 between the housing 3 and the end cap 5 is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module used for separating and purifying a liquid and a method for producing a hollow fiber membrane module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, hollow fiber membrane modules have been used in many applications such as production of sterile water, drinking water, high-purity water, and purification of air. In addition to these applications, in recent years, it has been used for the treatment of highly polluted water such as secondary treatment in sewage treatment plants, tertiary treatment, solid-liquid separation in septic tanks, and solid-liquid separation of SS (suspended matter) in industrial wastewater. Is being used.

[0003] As a hollow fiber membrane module suitably used for high-filtration water filtration, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-26
1253, JP-A-6-342, JP-A-6-342
A hollow fiber membrane module has been proposed in which an end of a sheet-like hollow fiber membrane bundle is accommodated in a rectangular housing and fixed using a fixing member, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 340 or the like.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional hollow fiber membrane module. This hollow fiber membrane module 31
Is a housing 3 having an internal passage (not shown) formed therein.
3 and an end cap 3 joined to both ends in a liquid-tight manner
5, 36, and a hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 7 are bundled in a sheet shape. The end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 is inserted into the housing 33 from an opening (not shown) formed in the side wall of the housing 33, and the open state of the end of the hollow fiber membrane 7 is maintained. The housing 3 is fixed by a fixing member 39 made of a fixing resin injected into a resin injection portion formed around the opening.
It is fixed to 3.

In such a hollow fiber membrane module 31, an end cap 3 for sealing an end of the housing 33 is provided on a housing 33 for collecting treated water.
5, 36 had to be joined in a liquid-tight manner. The joining of the end caps 35 and 36 is usually performed before the fixing resin is injected into the housing 33. For this joining, the materials of the end caps 35 and 36 and the housing 33 are:
In the case of polycarbonate, acrylic resin, ABS resin, vinyl chloride resin or the like, a solvent-based adhesive or a fixing resin of the same quality as the fixing member 39 is used. The adhesive or the like is applied to the housing 33 and the end caps 35, 3
6 are applied to the portions where they come into contact with each other.
And the end caps 35 and 36 are joined.

[0006]

However, in the above-described hollow fiber membrane module, when an external force is applied to the housing, specifically, when an excessive external force is repeatedly applied to the end cap portion joined to the housing. In some cases, destruction was observed at the portion where the adhesive was applied. Further, there is a problem that the work of applying the adhesive to the end cap is not easy, and the production efficiency is reduced.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hollow fiber membrane module having excellent mechanical strength at a joint between a housing and an end cap, and to produce such a hollow fiber membrane module easily and efficiently. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module that can be performed.

[0008]

According to the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, an end cap is liquid-tightly joined to at least one end of a housing in which an internal passage serving as a passage of treated water from the hollow fiber membrane is formed. A hollow fiber membrane module in which at least one end of the hollow fiber membrane is liquid-tightly fixed to a housing with a fixing member made of a fixing resin, wherein the fixing member fixes the hollow fiber membrane to the housing, The end cap is fixed to the housing.

The end cap connects a small lid inserted into an internal passage of the housing, a large lid in contact with an end surface of the housing, and connects the small lid and the large lid in a longitudinal direction of the housing. A connecting portion having a cross section orthogonal to the cross section made smaller than the small lid portion, wherein the fixing member is formed by resin injection formed between an outer peripheral wall of the connecting portion of the end cap and an inner peripheral wall of the housing. It is desirable that the space is filled.

In the method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module according to the present invention, the end of the hollow fiber membrane is housed in the housing from an opening formed in a side wall of the housing, and an end cap is attached to the end of the housing. The liquid fixing resin is injected into the resin injection portion formed around the opening to fix the hollow fiber membrane to the housing, and at the same time, the fixing resin is injected into the resin injection space formed between the housing and the end cap. Injecting and fixing the end cap to the housing.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 are views showing an example of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention. The hollow fiber membrane module 1 includes a housing 3 having an internal passage 2 formed therein,
An end cap 5 having a treated water outlet 4 joined to one end of the housing 3, an end cap 6 having no treated water outlet joined to the other end of the housing 3, and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 7. And a hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 bundled in a bundle. The end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 is fixed to the housing 3 by a fixing member 9 made of a fixing resin while the end of the hollow fiber membrane 7 is inserted into the housing 3 and the open state of the end of the hollow fiber membrane 7 is maintained. I have. The end caps 5 and 6 are fixed to the housing 3 by fixing members 9 with a part thereof being inserted into the internal passage 2 of the housing 3.

The housing 3 is, as shown in FIG.
A hollow inner passage 2 formed therein and a housing 3
, A weir 11 integrally formed with the housing 3 so as to sandwich the opening 10, and a resin injection part 12 having a concave cross section sandwiched between the weirs 11.
And a member configured to have:

The opening 10 is a slit-shaped hole serving as an insertion port for inserting the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 into the internal passage 2. Further, the fixing resin is transferred to the internal passage 2 of the housing 3.
It serves as an inflow port for flowing into a resin injection space described later formed between the end caps 5 and 6 inserted therein. Further, the weir 11 is for preventing sagging of the fixing resin.

The material of the housing 3 may be any material having mechanical strength and durability. For example, polycarbonate, polysulfone, acrylic resin, ABS
Resin, modified PPE (polyphenylene ether), vinyl chloride resin, polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.) can be used.

The end cap 5 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, a flat small lid portion 13 inserted into the internal passage 2 of the housing 3 to seal the internal passage 2, a large flat lid portion 15 in contact with the end face 14 of the housing 3, and a small lid portion 1
3 and the large lid 15, and a coupling section 16 having a smaller cross-sectional area of a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the housing than the small lid 13, a small lid 13, the coupling section 16, and the large lid 15. It has a perforated communication hole 17 and a treated water outlet 4 provided on the surface of the large lid 15 so as to be connected to the communication hole.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the end cap 6 is inserted into the internal passage 2 of the housing 3 to seal the internal passage 2 and an end face 14 of the housing 3. And a connecting portion 16 connecting the small lid portion 13 and the large lid portion 15 and having a cross-sectional area of a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the housing smaller than the small lid portion 13. It is composed.

The dimensions of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the small lid portion 13 are substantially the same as the size of the opening of the internal passage 2 so that a fixing resin, which will be described later, has such a small gap that does not flow into the internal passage 2 of the housing 3. It has been. The gap between the inner peripheral wall of the housing 3 and the peripheral edge of the small lid portion 13 varies depending on the viscosity of the fixing resin, but is usually less than 1 mm. In addition, small lid part 1
The thickness of 3 varies depending on the viscosity of the fixing resin, but may be usually 0.1 mm or more, and is preferably 1 mm or more to more reliably prevent the fixing resin from flowing into the internal passage 2. .

The length of the large cover 15 and the length of the horizontal cover are such that when it comes into contact with the outer wall of the housing 3, the internal passage 2 is sealed and the resin injection portion 12 is blocked. It is the same as the length and width.

The connecting portion 16 is provided between the small lid portion 13 and the large lid portion 15 and is integrated with them. The connecting portion 16 has a smaller cross-sectional area than the small lid portion 13 in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the housing. Thereby, when the end caps 5 and 6 are attached to the housing 3, the connecting portion 16, the small lid portion 13, the large lid portion 15, and the housing 3 are provided between the outer peripheral wall of the connecting portion 16 and the inner peripheral wall of the housing 3. A resin injection space 18 is formed, which is surrounded by the inner peripheral wall and continuous over the entire outer periphery of the connecting portion 16. In addition, the opening 10 communicating with the resin injection space 18 is
It becomes the resin inlet 19.

As described above, the sectional area of the connecting portion 16 is
The step 20 is formed in the small lid 13 around the boundary with the connecting part 16 by making the surface area smaller than the surface area of the third part 3. When the step portion 20 is caught by the fixing member 9 filled in the resin injection space 18, the end caps 5, 6
Is prevented from falling out of the housing 3, and the end caps 5, 6 are securely fixed to the housing 3. Further, the outer peripheral wall surface of the connecting portion is preferably processed into a fine rough surface by sanding or the like, since the adhesiveness to the fixing member 9 is improved.

As the material of the end caps 5, 6, for example, polycarbonate, polysulfone, acrylic resin, ABS resin, modified PPE resin, vinyl chloride resin, polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.) can be used. The end caps 5 and 6 can be formed by cutting, molding with a mold, or the like. The end cap 5 having the treated water outlet 4 serving as the treated water outlet is
It is necessary to provide at least one hollow fiber membrane module 1.

The resin injection space 12 filled with the fixing member 9
That is, the outer peripheral wall of the connecting portion 16 and the housing 3
Of the housing 3 (hereinafter, referred to as thickness), and the depth of the housing 3 in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter, referred to as depth).
Depends on the viscosity characteristics of the fixing resin used, and is not particularly limited.
Any size may be used as long as it flows over the entire outer periphery of the connection portion 16 of the sixth and the fixing member 9 can be formed continuously. That is, the size of the resin injection space 12 may be adjusted according to the viscosity of the fixing resin to be used. If the viscosity of the fixing resin is high,
The dimensions of the resin injection space 12 may be increased to an appropriate size to reduce the fluid friction loss.

For example, as a fixing resin, a two-liquid mixing type urethane resin having an initial mixing viscosity of 1500 mPa · s (pot life: 50,000 mPa · s arrival time: 25 minutes) is used. Perimeter length is 3
In the case of 0 mm, when the cross-sectional area of the resin injection space 12 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 3 is 0.4 mm ² or more (the resin injection space 12 dimension: thickness 0.2 mm or more, depth 2 mm or more), the fixing member is used. 9 is ensured and preferred. The dimensions of the resin injection space 12 are less than 0.2 mm in thickness,
If the depth is less than 2 mm, the resin injection space 12 becomes narrow,
Since the fluid friction loss increases, the flow of the urethane resin deteriorates. Since the viscosity of the urethane resin increases with the passage of time, the fluid friction loss is large, and if the urethane resin takes too long to inject, the fluidity may be lost and the agglomeration may occur. Therefore, it is desirable to ensure the dimensions of the resin injection space 12 as much as possible.

As the hollow fiber membrane 7, various materials can be used, for example, various materials such as cellulose, polyolefin, polyvinyl alcohol, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), fluororesin, and polysulfone. Can be used. However, when the hollow fiber membrane is knitted into a sheet and processed, a material having a high elongation, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, is preferably used from the viewpoint of ease of processing. In addition, as long as it can be used as a filtration membrane, the pore diameter, porosity of the hollow fiber membrane,
There are no particular restrictions on the film thickness, outer diameter, etc.

The fixing member 9 fixes the hollow fiber membrane 7 housed in the housing 3 while keeping the end portion of the hollow fiber membrane 7 in an open state. It functions as a member that partitions treated water in a liquid-tight manner. Further, it also functions as a member for fixing the end caps 5, 6 to the housing 3 in a liquid-tight manner.

As the fixing resin for forming the fixing member 9, an epoxy resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a urethane resin, various hot melt resins and the like can be usually used, and can be appropriately selected. The fixing resin is related to the adhesive performance between the housing 3 and the end caps 5 and 6. As the fixing resin, an appropriate resin should be selected in consideration of the materials of the housing 3 and the end caps 5 and 6. Is preferred. For example, when the materials of the housing 3 and the end caps 5 and 6 are both ABS resin,
As the fixing resin, it is preferable to use an epoxy resin or a urethane resin having good adhesive performance.

The viscosity of the fixing resin before solidification is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 500 to 5000 mPa · s, more preferably in the range of 2000 to 3000 mPa · s. If the viscosity of the fixing resin is less than 500 mPa · s, the fixing resin may flow to the open end of the hollow fiber membrane 7 and may be a factor to close the open end. If the viscosity of the fixing resin exceeds 5000 mPa · s, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 7
It is not preferable because it makes it difficult to impregnate between them.

In such a hollow fiber membrane module 1, the fixing member 9 fixes the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 to the housing 3 and fixes the end caps 5 and 6 to the housing 3. Since the fixing member for fixing the end caps 5 and 6 to the housing 3 is integrated with the fixing member for fixing the end caps 5 and 6 to the housing 3, the rigidity near the joint between the housing 3 and the end caps 5 and 6 increases. The mechanical strength of the joint between the housing 3 and the end caps 5, 6 is improved.

The end caps 5 and 6 are attached to the small lid 1.
3 and the connecting portion 16 have a stepped portion 20 caused by a difference in cross-sectional area, so that the stepped portion 20 is caught by the fixing member 9 filled in the resin injection space 18 and the housing of the end caps 5, 6 The end caps 5, 6 can be securely fixed to the housing 3.

The hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention is not limited to the hollow fiber membrane module 1 shown in the figure, but is, for example, a hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 bent into a U shape as shown in FIG. May be a hollow fiber membrane module 21 having both ends fixed to one housing 3. Also,
The shape of the housing is not limited to the rectangular shape in the illustrated example, and may be a cylindrical shape. In this case, the small lid portion and the large lid portion of the end cap have a disk shape.

Next, a method for manufacturing the hollow fiber membrane module 1 will be described. First, the end of each hollow fiber membrane 7 constituting the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 is cut and opened in advance. Next, the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 is inserted into the opening 10 of the housing 3 such that the open end of the hollow fiber membrane 7 is located in the internal passage 2 of the housing 3.

After the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 4 is housed in the housing 3, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the small lid portions 13 and the connecting portions 16 of the end caps 5 and 6 are connected to the internal passage 2.
And the end caps 5, 6 are attached to the housing 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.
While maintaining the open state of the end of the hollow fiber membrane 7, the liquid fixing resin 9 ′ is filled into the resin injection part 12 and the opening 10 from the outside of the housing 3.

At the same time, the fixing resin 9 'is
The resin flows into a resin injection space 18 formed between the housing 3 and the end caps 5 and 6 through a resin inlet 19 which is a part of the opening 10. 15 and FIG.
As shown in FIG.
6 is spread over the entire resin injection space 18 so as to surround the connecting portion 16. By solidifying the fixing resin 9 ', the joining between the housing 3 and the end caps 5, 6 is completed.

The operation of housing the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 in the housing 3 is preferably performed after the opening 10 of the housing 3 is widened. In order to easily widen the opening 10, it is necessary to open at least one end of both ends of the housing 3. Therefore, after the end caps 5 and 6 are stored in the housing 3 of the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8,
It needs to be retrofitted.

When the hollow fiber membrane module 1 is manufactured, it is not necessary to apply an adhesive or the like to the end caps 5 and 6 to join the housing 3 to the end caps 5 and 6. Need only be inserted into the housing 3. Then, the fixing resin 9 ′ is attached to the housing 3.
Is injected so that the fixing resin 9 ′ is
2. Further, the resin flows into the resin injection space 18 by its own weight, and thereafter, by fixing the fixing resin 9 ′, fixing the hollow fiber membrane bundle 8 to the housing 3 and fixing the end caps 5, 6 to the housing 3. Ends at the same time. Therefore, the housing 3 of the end caps 5, 6
Can be efficiently performed.

[0036]

As described above, in the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention, the end cap is liquid-tightly joined to at least one end of the housing in which the internal passage serving as the passage of the treated water from the hollow fiber membrane is formed. And a hollow fiber membrane module in which at least one end of the hollow fiber membrane is liquid-tightly fixed to a housing by a fixing member made of a fixing resin, wherein the fixing member fixes the hollow fiber membrane to the housing. Since the end cap is fixed to the housing, the joint between the housing and the end cap has excellent mechanical strength. A cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing, wherein the end cap is connected to the small lid inserted into the internal passage of the housing, the large lid in contact with the end surface of the housing, and the small lid and the large lid. And a connecting portion having a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the small lid portion, and the fixing member fills a resin injection space formed between an outer peripheral wall of the connecting portion of the end cap and an inner peripheral wall of the housing. If this is done, the end cap is prevented from coming off the housing, and the end cap is securely fixed to the housing.

In the method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module according to the present invention, the end of the hollow fiber membrane is housed in the housing through an opening formed in the side wall of the housing, and an end cap is attached to the end of the housing. The liquid fixing resin is injected into the resin injection portion formed around the opening to fix the hollow fiber membrane to the housing, and at the same time, the fixing resin is injected into the resin injection space formed between the housing and the end cap. Since the end cap is fixed to the housing by injection, a hollow fiber membrane module having excellent mechanical strength at the joint between the housing and the end cap can be easily and efficiently manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a housing in the hollow fiber membrane module of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a housing used for the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of an end cap used in the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of an end cap used in the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing another example of the end cap used in the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing another example of the end cap used in the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of the hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

12 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

14 is a sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module of the present invention.

16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVI-XVI in FIG.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional hollow fiber membrane module.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hollow fiber membrane module 2 Internal path 3 Housing 5 End cap 6 End cap 7 Hollow fiber membrane 8 Hollow fiber membrane bundle 9 Fixing member 9 'Fixing resin 10 Opening 12 Resin injection part 13 Small lid part 15 Large lid part 16 Connection Part 18 Resin injection space 21 Hollow fiber membrane module

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masanori Ito 4-160 Sunadabashi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. Product Development Laboratory (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Kadomoto 4-chome Sunadabashi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture No. 1-60 F-term in Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. Product Development Laboratory (reference) 4D006 HA02 JA22C JA25A JA25C JA27C JB05 MA01 MC16 MC22 MC28 MC33 MC37 MC62 PA01 PB06 PB08 PB17 PC52

Claims (3)

[Claims] An end cap is liquid-tightly joined to at least one end of a housing in which an internal passage serving as a passage of treated water from a hollow fiber membrane is formed, and at least one end of the hollow fiber membrane is fixed to the housing. A hollow fiber membrane module liquid-tightly fixed by a fixing member made of resin, wherein the fixing member fixes the hollow fiber membrane to a housing and fixes the end cap to the housing. Hollow fiber membrane module. 2. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the end cap connects the small lid inserted into the internal passage of the housing, a large lid in contact with an end surface of the housing, the small lid and the large lid, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing. A connecting portion having a cross-sectional area of a cross section orthogonal to that of the small lid portion, wherein the fixing member has an outer peripheral wall of a connecting portion of the end cap;
The hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein the resin is filled in a resin injection space formed between the hollow fiber membrane module and an inner peripheral wall of the housing. 3. The method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module according to claim 1, wherein an end of the hollow fiber membrane is housed in the housing through an opening formed in a side wall of the housing. At the same time, an end cap is attached to the end, and a liquid fixing resin is injected into a resin injection portion formed around the opening to fix the hollow fiber membrane to the housing, and at the same time, formed between the housing and the end cap. A method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane module, wherein a fixing resin is injected into a resin injection space and an end cap is fixed to a housing.